Another War
by StarRise
Summary: Lines are crossed. Can there be two "all-powerful" beings? Which is greater, the light or the dark? And this time, who holds all the cards?
1. Introdution

**Another War**

Introduction

It.. He... stared off into the distance, seeing and not seeing at the same time. To some he was but a myth, others knew that he was real. Some thought that he was all powerful. Others knew the truth. Far from being all powerful, he had competition. But there had always been rules, boundaries to curb power and ambition. Had been...

_He has finally crossed the lines. I must admit that I admire his self control in waiting so long... But this is what it has finally come down to.. The final battle... And the great question... Which is greater... The Light, or the Darkness..._

_**Disclaimer- Me no own. Not at all. WAH!**_


	2. Regrets Tobias

**Another War**

**Chapter 1- Tobias**

Okay... I must confess that the first time that I read the conclusion to the animorph series I was not a happy camper. That was not how the story was supposed to end. Everything was supposed to turn out okay. After going back and reading the ending once more I understand why she ended Animorphs the way that she did, and I must confess that I agree with the way that K.A. Applegate finished it all. But I have always been two things- A devoted-to-happy-endings fanatic and a terrible what-if person. So here is my what-if-happy-ending version. Enjoy or shred as you will. You may now morph.

**Disclaimer Animorphs belongs totally and completely to K.A. Applegate. I own nothing. Mores the pity.**

**Regrets- Tobias**

The wind was crisp and sharp, pushing the clouds across the sky overhead as it ushered in the first hints of early winter. I hardly noticed. I hardly cared about the season changes anymore. Nothing really mattered anymore. WE had won the war, but it left us, or at least me, to wonder if it was really worth the price that we had to pay. I also knew that I was being selfish, but like I said, I didn't care about much anymore.

My feathers were rough and unpreened, blood still matted some of them from my most recent meal. Yesterday morning. I knew that I was too thin, not eating enough. Winter was coming on, and I was skin, bone, and feathers. And I didn't care. WE might have won the war, but I had lost everything that was important.

She was gone.

Rachel was gone.

I blamed Jake, even though I knew that it wasn't really his fault. He didn't make Rachel do it. I knew her too well for that. He asked, and she made the choice to go. She wouldn't have made any other choice. It was the kind of person that she was. She loved the rush of battle, the thrill of power, the surge of adrenaline that came with every skirmish, every fight.

She knew the risk that was involved with taking Tom out, and she accepted it as necessary. I think that she also saw it as a personal challenge. She went out just like she would have wanted, fighting to the last, going out in a blaze of bloody glory.

Sometimes I almost hate her. Hate her for leaving me here all alone like she did. But I can't keep that up for long. I loved her too much for that. Sometimes I hate myself too. For never having the courage to tell her that to her face. I know that she knew, we both knew, but that still doesn't make it any easier And now I would never to be able to tell her.

She would be angry with me, if she could see me now. In the condition that I was in. She was always a fighter, and here I was, giving up the fight. But I also think that to some degree she would have understood why. She always did understand me, when no one else really did.

I have to take that back. There was another person who used to understand me, at least a little. Ax did. But where was he now. Some big shot prince on his own space vessel, back with his own people. Maybe it was for the best. But I could still hate him. Hate him and envy him. He had a people to go back to... A place in the universe when I had and still have nothing.

I'm assuming that he's doing all right. Last I heard from Cassie they were all doing all right, to some degree. Marco is some bigshot millionaire, his dream in life fulfilled. Jake was a superhero in the eyes of the public and something of an honorary military professor, teaching the few humans allowed the morphing technology exactly how to use it Cassie is a bridge between the Hork Bajir and the government. She kept me updated on Toby for a while. I appreciated that.

But I hadn't seen Cassie in almost a year. It wasn't her fault. It was mine. She had tried, but I didn't want to see her. I didn't want to see any of them. And most of all, I didn't want to hear about any of them anymore. Them and their perfect lives.

Sure, I could become human. But why? There wasn't a reason for me to anymore. What would it get me? Money? Recognition? What was the point?

She was the only reason I would have done it.

And she was gone.

I spread my wings and caught the tail end of one of the breezy gusts, allowing it to lift me off my perch. Flapping was getting to be too much work anymore. I caught a weak thermal, but it was enough to lift my light body high, towards the clouds, and gave me enough altitude to reach my goal without much work on my part when I left it.

It was not much more than a cleft in the rock high on one of the cliff sides. A human from the ground could not have reached without specialized equipment, a lot of effort, and more than a little luck. Inside was an urn. It was empty. Rachel would have hated being stopped up in a little jar for all eternity. Her ashes now ride the wind with me.

But I kept the container. Any psychologist would have called it a pointless obsession, but I didn't care. I came up here when I wanted to remember. I used to morph, morph to human so that I could do something important that my hawk body could not. My hawk body could not cry. But lately I didn't have the energy to even to even do that. So I cried like the Andalites did. In my heart

I didn't stay long. In my current state, even this ritual was loosing importance. After a few minutes I launched back into the air. Tired. So tired. Maybe I would just go back to my tree and sleep. Sleep would be nice. Maybe I would dream a good dream, a dream where things didn't end like they did in reality. Maybe-.

PAIN!

It tore through my conscious and my being, like every fiber of me was being ripped apart. The ground was rising upwards through a tunnel of spreading blackness...

Yah, I'm in overtime right now. I should actually be doing schoolwork and instead I'm being a naughty girl and doing this. Anyway, please R&R if you like it. I can't promise an update any time soon, but if I get a lot of reveiws I might try and get something up a little bit faster.


	3. Cassie Worries

**Another War**

**Chapter 2**

**Cassie- Worries**

**Disclaimer- Even though I have the same initials as K. A. Applegate I do not own animorphs. If I did own Animorphs I would actually have the time to write on this without being naughty and doing when I am supposed to be doing my homework, comprende?**

I took my time working my way up the trail. It really even wasn't a trail, more of a rabbit run. But it made the going a little bit easier. I heard a shout from behind me and paused, waiting for Ronnie to catch up and trying not to laugh at the sight of him attempting to untangle himself from a wild rose bush. WE were scouting again. The Hork-Bajir were flourishing in their home in Yellowstone, and Toby had hinted that they might soon need some more room.

We continued on together with me occasionally laughing at something that Ronnie said or did. He liked doing that, liked making me laugh. I think that he liked me too, liked me period. But I just couldn't bring myself go out on date with him like he wanted. I think that he thought it was because of the relationship that I used to have with Jake, but I really hadn't seen Jake since they tried Visser One, and we really hadn't parted on the best of terms. Not enemies... but not like we had been either.

I still sort of keep up with Marco. He sends me a birthday card every year. I send him one back. Hit him up every time that I need a grant or something, a sponsor or a donation of sorts. He grumbles a bit, but I know that he really doesn't mind that much. He has the money to spare, and anyway, it looks good on the tax forms.

I heard that Ax is doing all right, and I just sort of hope for his sake that he is. He is out of Elfangors shadow without totally eclipsing his brother, which I think would have bothered him a lot too. He adored his brother, and really just wanted to live up to the standard that his brother had set, not bury it.

The run ran out, but did so right next to a dry rain gully. We hopped down the bank and slid our way down into the valley. I stepped back and looked around at the overall picture. Sure, the side of the valley were wooded pretty well, but it was mostly scrub pine and spruce, not the large hardwoods preferred by the Hork-Bajir. The open meadow that made up the floor of the valley kind of subtracted from its usability as well. The Hork-Bajir like some open space, but they really don't need anything this size. This was deer habitat, not Hork-Bajir habitat.

Ronnie came up behind me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. He looked down at the valley and then at my face. "Not going to work, is it?"

I shook my head. "Nope. Looks like we went through long walk for nothing."

He released me long enough to pull a map from his bag and shake it out. "Not necessarily. We had another valley marked out to look over. Probably another hours walk, if you wan to do that today."

I glanced up at the sun overhead. It was still pretty early in the day to be heading in, especially on a beautiful fall day like this. Ronnie read my answer when I set out across the meadow in the direction that he had indicated. He folded the map quickly, shoving it awkwardly back in his bag before hurrying after me. I didn't look back until he called my name.

"Hey Cass, look at this poor thing."

When I turned he was standing over something lying in the tall grass. I couldn't see it, so I made my way over to where he was. It was a red-tailed hawk, battered, bruised, and bloody. Something had hit I tin the air and torn one of its wings and part of its back open. It was thin and old, the feathers starting to fade. I don't know why, but it made me think of Tobias, and without realizing I knelt down and brushed a finger over one of the wingtips.

Unhhh...

My hand jerked back. "Tobias?"

The injured bird stirred again, but that was enough for me. I looked around wildly before my eyes settled on Ronnie. "Give me your jacket."

He was startled, but did as I demanded, handing over the light windbreaker and watching me in a slight shock as I gathered up the battered hawk body and wrapped it lightly, cradling to my chest gently. I didn't even bother with his unspoken questions, moving as smoothly as I could in the direction that would lead my back to the jeep that had carried us up here.

I left my backpack and everything else lying on the ground. Ronnie would get them or not, at the moment I didn't really care. And if he wasn't back to the jeep by the time that got there then he could start walking until I could send someone back to get him. He'd live.

I didn't think that Tobias was going to.

Chapter 3 is up. Hope everyone likes it. Flames and positive reinforcement are welcome. I'm trying to keep pretty much everyone in character for the most part, but I'm not promising perfection or anything, Forgive me for artistic license, okay? I already explained that I don't own it.


	4. Jake Surprises

**Another War**

**Chapter 3**

**Jake- Surprises**

I was surprised to see her.

I was even more surprised when I found out what she wanted.

She told me the entire story. How she had found Tobias. How she had nursed him back to health, even against his will. It kind of surprised me, the thought that she would force anyone to do something that they did not want to do. But she keeps insisting that deep down inside Tobias really wants to live.

I don't know what for. I haven't seen him since the day of Rachel's memorial. I was never able to tell him that I approved of what he did. I think that I am actually sort of afraid of what he might say to me. He never has forgiven me for asking Rachel to do that. To go after Tom.

Hell... doesn't he think that hurt me too? Asking my cousin that had fought beside me, saved my life, for more than four years, to go hunt down the brother that I once idolized? Or did he think that I had become so hard that the only thing that I cared about anymore was winning? That I was an unthinking strategy machine?

It hurt.

It still hurts.

I don't know why I found myself telling Cassie all of this. She did. Because she is the only one that would understand and take it seriously. Marco would make some sort of joke about it that would make me feel better, but he really couldn't do anything about it. Then I found out why she had come to me. She had come because I was the only one that could help her.

She told me the rest of the story. How once he was well enough Tobias had simply flown away, turning his back on her and, at least in my view, everything that she had done for him. She didn't see it that way. Cassie saw it as a cry for help, and that's what she had come to get him. Help.

At first I didn't understand, because I didn't know what on earth that I could do for Tobias. He refused to see me, refused to have anything to do with me. What was I supposed to do? Order him to take care of himself? Give him a pep talk like I used to give everyone and hope that what I was saying would sink in?

No. She just needed my help to reach the help that she felt like he needed. See, Cassie wanted to get ahold of Ax. The only problem was that she couldn't get her hands on the communicator that she needed. Oh yah, the government would have let her use one if she had asked. I don't see how they could have refused her. But that would have made the fact that she wanted to communicate with Ax public, and she wanted this to be done discretely.

I really didn't see what Ax could do for Tobias either, but Cassie kept insisting that he could help.

"Lets face it Jake. Tobias's problem is that he is all alone, and he is tried of being alone. His solution to the problem is to eliminate the cause, in this case, himself. Ax is his family. They both acknowledged that. If Ax can give him a reason to live than we might be able to save him."

I still didn't see how this would help, but by this time I had given up arguing with her. We arranged for me to sneak her in as a flea hiding on me late one night. They had given me an office when I accepted the teaching job, and I would just make some excuse about needing to do some paperwork that I had forgotten.

I actually had an address that would allow me to send a private message to Ax. He had given it to me the last time that I had seen him. I never thought that I would have reason to use it, but Cassie seemed glad to see it. She would go and send the message while I hid in my office and did my 'paperwork'. When she was done she would come back and I would leave with her on me once more.

It was a simple plan. So simple in fact, that I couldn't believe when it worked to perfection. She sent her message and we left no one any the wiser to what we had done.

Once we were well out of sight of the base she demorphed and we walked together for a while in silence. Finally she stopped and faced me. Without saying anything she stood on her tiptoes and kissed me on the cheek. Then she walked away, and I could only stare at her retreating back, letting her walk away again and wondering what on earth I was doing.

Another chapter... Thank-you to everyone who has taken the time to R&R this. I really appreciate it.


	5. Ax Battles

**Another War**

**Chapter 4 **

**Ax- Battles**

**Disclaimer I do not own the Animorphs. Not a chance, not even close. **

I walked into my cabin and looked around. I don't understand why they bother to make the captains quarters so large. We rarely are allowed to spend much time here. Surely there was some better use that could be made of this space. But then, I was only a Prince, with not idea of how to design ships.

After having lived among humans so much the quirks of my own people sometimes confused and annoyed me. Why would a designer know which design would work better in a ship, when they never had to use the ship under real circumstances? Of course they had their labs where they could run their tests and simulations, but most of the time they never actually took the result out into the field themselves. And when officers did offer ideas for improvement they were dismissed as impossible or impractical. What was so wrong about moving a set of controls half an inch closer?

I sighed to myself in my head, a habit still left over from my days on earth. I had picked up many earth habits that my fellow Andalites often found disconcerting, such as shaking my head and shrugging my shoulders. I was able to control when I made these actions, and often avoided them for the comfort of those around me and serving under me. But sometimes it felt good to unnerve those around me.

I had not expected the message from Cassie. It actually came as quite a surprise. But the content had not been. I remembered how Tobias had been when Rachel was killed, and I was not surprised at how Cassie had found him. I was more surprised at the fact that he was still alive at all. She had begged me for my help.

I grew angry. Angry at Tobias for doing this to himself and putting the rest of us through it. Angry at my brother for creating this problem in the first place. But I was most angry at myself. Angry for what I had done. Or more accurately, what I had not done.

I had abandoned my friend on earth. I had abandoned my kin and left him to fend for himself. I had done the unforgivable. Now I just had tohope that it was not too late for me to try and make up for my mistakes.

I had already applied for my leave. I did not see how they could deny me. I had an enormous amount of leave time built up, and technically this was a family matter, even if most of them would never know it. Then I would have to find a way to earth, as soon as I got approval for what I was planning to do.

I doubted the council would be very happy with what I had in mind, but I did not see how they could refuse me either. I was the great Aximilli, a war hero, and technically Tobias was too. Even if they did not approve I would go ahead and do it. They will probably approve it on those grounds alone.

But convincing them was not going to be the hard part.

The hard part was going to be convincing Tobias.

With that thought on my mind I began to make the calls I needed to, getting all of the arrangements in place.

Can anyone guess what Ax is going to do? snisk I will be very surprised if anyone can. But give it your best shot when you tell me what you think of this chapter. In other words- REVIEW! Or I'll use an antimorphing ray on you, and we wouldn't want THAT, now would we?


	6. Tobias Words

**Another War**

**Chapter Five**

**TOBIAS- Words**

**All right… I dropped off the face of the planet for a bit… And I'm sorry. Forgive? **

**Disclaimer:... Just in case anyone has forgotten, I just have the same initials as K.A. Applegate. The Animorphs and everything that pertain to them belong to her. Not to me.**

I left as soon as Cassie would let me go, promising to be a good boy and take better care of myself.

Yah. Right.

My hawk body is failing. We both know it. And the simple fact of the matter is that I don't care. I'm done with life. Done with not having anything to live for.

Or at least, that's what I thought.

Ax was a total and complete surprise. It was a sign of just how bad my body was getting that I didn't see him coming, didn't have time to run, until he was already there. I was angry. I figured that Cassie had called him, or had told Jake and had Jake call him. I almost flew away, and then I just gave up.

There had been a time, not so long ago, even if it seemed like ages to me, that I could have outflown any one of them in any morph in the sky. Not now. Now Ax probably could have morphed his seagull and caught me. So I started talking first.

You're a long way from home.

Yes. Ax agreed. I wasn't surprised that he missed the sarcasm. He never had a great sense of humor. It was his next words that stopped me still.

So are you.

Me? My laugh was bitter. Maybe I was wrong and he had picked up more of a sense of humor on earth than I had first thought. Sorry Ax-man, but you are way off the mark. I don't have a home. Never have. Never will. End of story.

It does not have to be.

Man... what did he just not get? I had no place to go. I was dying. And I was happy about it. For a moment I wished that whatever bird had attacked me in the sky had finished the job. Then I wouldn't be here, having this stupid argument and reliving all of these memories.

O really? What do you propose to do about it?

You will come and live with me. As you should have from the start.

REALLY The sarcasm could not have gotten any thicker. I couldn't believe that I was hearing this from Ax. I always thought that he had more sense than this. But he was serious. I could see it in his eyes. All four of them. Right. We'll just show up the family scoop. Hey mom, dad, this is Tobias, and oh, by the way, he's your grandson, courtesy of Elfangor. Right Ax, I'm sure they'll handle that REAL well.

They already know.

There was another one to throw me for a loop. Great, so have you not told them anything? Anyway, what the heck would I eat? I can't handle a mouse problem all by myself, if that's what you want. And if you want pest control, go import a cat. It'll last longer than me.

You would eat grass, just like everyone else.

I opened my beak. C'mon. Ax, stop and think for just one moment. This was not designed to indulge in the consumption of greenery. It was made to eat the things that eat the greenery. You should know.

Tobias...

No. I cut him off. I just couldn't take it anymore. This conversation was over. I spread my wings and took off clumsily. Forget it Ax. Go home to your perfect life like everyone else and leave me. It's just better that way.

I didn't look back. I just flew. After a while I realized where I was. When Cassie had found me she had stabilized me, then taken me back to the farm. Back to the barn that had so many memories wrapped up in it that the whole thing was not even funny. I think that it was her way of trying to help me. It hadn't worked. But when I ran from Ax I had run blindly, and instinct had led me back to my meadow.

It was a half-finished housing development.

A shadow passed over me. I looked up and saw a northern harrier. I wasn't afraid. I knew who it was, even though I had hoped that he wouldn't follow me.

Your meadow is gone. He observed. Great. Now he felt like he had to point out the obvious to me.

It was never my meadow. I never really claim to it. It belonged to someone whose name appeared on a piece of paper lying around in the town hall records until they sold it. Smart move really, at the prices lands going for around here right now.

For a long while it was silent again as we floated on the thermals. For a while I almost forgot that he was there.

What are you going to do now?

I actually hadn't given it much thought. I guess I just sort of allowed my subconscious and the hawk mind to make the decision for me. Go back to the mountains, I guess.

And die?

The harshness and the directness of it, coming from Ax, kind of threw me for a minute. Then I just got plain angry. Yah. So what's it to you? You never cared before.

I know.

The sadness and regret in his voice, along with the self-reproach, almost made me feel sorry. What he said next finished the job.

Tobias... I must ask for your forgiveness. What I did was not right. Among Andalites, family is very important. I left part of mine here without a second thought.

I still felt sorry for him, but the anger that I was trying to bury came rising back up to the surface again anyway. Right, so is that what you came all the way back to earth to tell me? That you are sorry? That you came home to take a dying bird back with you? Wonderful Ax-man. Just great.

No.

The one thing that they had not level yet was the old tree that I had always roosted in. The one at the edge of my meadow that allowed me to survey the entire meadow all at once. I spotted a lot of dinners from this perch. I landed, gliding in like I always used to. And almost missed the landing. The same landing that I had done more than a hundred times, and I almost missed it.

No. Ax repeated.

Then he elaborated.

I wish you to return with me. As an Andalite. .

**Sooo… Did I manage to startle anyone? Was it worth waiting for? Am I forgiven? Anyway, please read and review. I promise that it you will review I won't make you wait two months again for another posting…**


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